THE REGULATORY EFFECT OF AWE: AWE PREDICTS ENHANCED ABILITY TO RESIST FOOD INDULGENCE

Abstract

Previous research has found that awe predicts numerous personal and social benefits. In the present dissertation, I examined the relationship between awe and resistance to hedonistic indulgent food consumption. Correlational evidence in Studies 1A and 1B showed that participants high in dispositional awe tended to choose fewer indulgent food items. Study 2 was an experimental study, in which undergraduates induced to experience awe consumed less soft drink compared to those induced to feel amusement or neutral moods. Study 3 showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the relationship between awe and reduced indulgent food preference. In Study 4, inductions of both positive and threat-based forms of awe reduced cravings for indulgent food items, compared to a neutral mood induction. The present research suggests that there are regulatory functions related to the experience of awe and that these have practical implications for consumer marketing and intervention treatments for binge-eating problems and obesity.